ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• Shorter height is directly associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease
• Investigators discover mechanism responsible for tumor invasion in brain cancer
• Can arts, crafts and computer use preserve your memory?
• Autism's early neuronal 'neighborhood'
• Alternating antibiotics could make resistant bacteria beatable
• Distance running may be an evolutionary 'signal' for desirable male genes
• Allergy drug inhibits hepatitis C in mice
• Worms, germs lead to better immune function
• Biologists identify brain tumor weakness
• Muscles matter in baseball
• Tumor cells that mimic blood vessels could help breast cancer spread to other sites
• Ebola vaccine effective in a single dose
• First look at 'wasabi receptor' brings insights for pain drug development
• In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection
• Obesity-related receptors have a unique structure
• Pesticide exposure contributes to heightened risk of heart disease
• Improved understanding of protein complex offers insight into DNA replication initiation mechanism basics
• Rats fed a dietary fiber supplement had better weight control
• Fountain of youth uncovered in mammary glands of mice, by breast cancer researchers
• What can brain-controlled prosthetics tell us about the brain?
• A digital field guide to cancer cells
• Could a dose of nature be just what the doctor ordered?
• Increase in inflammation linked to high traffic pollution for people on insulin
• No association between lung cancer risk in women, reproductive history or hormone use
• Enriched broccoli reduces cholesterol
• Harmless artificial virus developed for gene therapy
• Researchers shed light on link between diet, Epstein-Barr
• How science, storytelling influence debate over vaccines
• When health risks go down, worker productivity goes up
• Gene study helps explain Legionnaires' probe complications
• Osteoporosis-related fractures in China expected to double by 2035
• Women, regardless of their backgrounds, seek help for the 'got to go' feeling
• Swimming algae offer researchers insights into living fluid dynamics
• Emotional processing deficits linked with white matter damage
• Plotting the elimination of dengue
• Brain scans reveal how people 'justify' killing
• Older people can learn to spend less time sitting down
• Hidden burden: Most people carry recessive disease mutations
• Case study Cabo Verde: Simulation offers policy Rx for curbing HIV
• Exercise improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, new study indicates
• Plants can take up nicotine from contaminated soils and from smoke
• Obese patients improve physically, mentally after bariatric surgery
• Got cold sores? Ironing out oxidative stress with vitamin E
• Mental disorders and physical diseases co-occur in teenagers
• Strokes can double the likelihood of attempted suicide
• Researchers list reasons why the U. S. Surgeon General should announce that UV tanning causes skin cancer
• Children with autism can learn to be social, trial shows
• Researchers probing potential power of meditation as therapy
• Subtype of lethal prostate cancer discovered by researchers
• Molecular trigger found for schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes

Shorter height is directly associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease Posted: 08 Apr 2015 02:12 PM PDT A genetic approach has been used by researchers to show link between height and disease. "We have shown that the association between shorter height and higher risk of coronary heart disease is a primary relationship and is not due to confounding factors such as nutrition or poor socioeconomic conditions," a researcher notes. Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of death worldwide. Nearly one in six men and one in ten women die from coronary heart disease.

Investigators discover mechanism responsible for tumor invasion in brain cancer Posted: 08 Apr 2015 01:06 PM PDT A neuro-oncology research team recently identified the transcription factor Id4 as a suppressor of tumor cell invasion in glioblastoma. "This finding suggests a novel therapeutic target to decrease invasion of tumor cells in patients and may also provide a novel biomarker that could help predict survival of patients with glioblastoma," explained a researcher.

Can arts, crafts and computer use preserve your memory? Posted: 08 Apr 2015 01:06 PM PDT People who participate in arts and craft activities and who socialize in middle and old age may delay the development in very old age of the thinking and memory problems that often lead to dementia, according to a new study.

Autism's early neuronal 'neighborhood' Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:53 AM PDT The first ever systematic look at connections between the entire cerebral cortex and the cerebellum have been gained by researchers using fMRI brain imaging, and its findings provide another piece in the puzzle that could one day lead researchers to develop a reliable brain-based test for identifying autism.

Alternating antibiotics could make resistant bacteria beatable Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:53 AM PDT Pioneering new research has unlocked a new technique to help combat the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, that cause debilitating and often life-threatening human illness.

Distance running may be an evolutionary 'signal' for desirable male genes Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:53 AM PDT New research shows that males with higher 'reproductive potential' are better distance runners. This may have been used by females as a reliable signal of high male genetic quality during our hunter-gatherer past, as good runners are more likely to have other traits of good hunters and providers, such as intelligence and generosity.

Allergy drug inhibits hepatitis C in mice Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:52 AM PDT An over-the-counter drug indicated to treat allergy symptoms limited hepatitis C virus activity in infected mice, according to a study. The results suggest that the drug, chlorcyclizine HCl, potentially could be used to treat the virus in people.

Worms, germs lead to better immune function Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:52 AM PDT Researches hypothesize that enhancing biodiversity in laboratory rats, including treating the rats with worms, would suppress their immune systems. Because worms have been shown to subdue inflammatory diseases such as asthma and allergies, the thinking was, the treated immune system would not fight infections as effectively.

Biologists identify brain tumor weakness Posted: 08 Apr 2015 11:16 AM PDT A new discovery could offer more effective drugs to combat brain tumors, scientists report. The study found that a subset of glioblastoma tumor cells is dependent on a particular enzyme that breaks down the amino acid glycine. Without this enzyme, toxic metabolic byproducts build up inside the tumor cells, and they die.

Muscles matter in baseball Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:53 AM PDT A new approach to analyzing baseball-pitching biomechanics may one day give players more personalized feedback and help prevent elbow injuries. In a computer simulation study of baseball pitching, biomedical engineers found that the strength of the elbow muscles of a baseball pitcher likely play a bigger role in injury risk and prevention than previously thought.

Tumor cells that mimic blood vessels could help breast cancer spread to other sites Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT The ability of tumor cells to form tubular networks that mimic blood vessels can help drive metastasis, the spread of breast cancer to different sites in the body, a mouse model study has demonstrated. The researchers are now examining what it takes for tumor cells that have exited from a primary tumor into the bloodstream to then get out of the bloodstream and colonize a new site in the body. "We've identified some interesting targets that we think seem to be key for this step," researcher says.

Ebola vaccine effective in a single dose Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT Medical researchers have developed a quick-acting vaccine that is both safe and effective with a single dose against the Ebola strain that killed thousands of people in West Africa last year. During 2014, the outbreak of the West African Makona strain of Ebola Zaire virus killed nearly 10,000 and caused worldwide concern. With increasing population growth in West Africa, the frequency of contact between humans and natural Ebola virus hosts such as bats will likely rise, potentially leading to more catastrophic outbreaks.

First look at 'wasabi receptor' brings insights for pain drug development Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT In a feat that would have been unachievable only a few years ago, researchers have pulled aside the curtain on a protein informally known as the 'wasabi receptor,' revealing at near-atomic resolution structures that could be targeted with anti-inflammatory pain drugs.

In first human study, new antibody therapy shows promise in suppressing HIV infection Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT In the first results to emerge from HIV patient trials of a new generation of so-called broadly neutralizing antibodies, researchers have found the experimental therapy can dramatically reduce the amount of virus present in a patient's blood.

Obesity-related receptors have a unique structure Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:30 AM PDT Researchers have used the SPring-8 synchrotron facility in Harima, Japan to elucidate the structure of two receptors of adiponectin, a protein that is associated with obesity and diabetes. The researchers hope that in the future this work will pave the way toward designing drugs that target these two receptors, AdipoR1 and AdipoR2, to reduce the early mortality associated with diabetes.

Pesticide exposure contributes to heightened risk of heart disease Posted: 08 Apr 2015 10:13 AM PDT Pesticide exposure, not obesity alone, can contribute to increased cardiovascular disease risk and inflammation in premenopausal women, according to a new study.

Improved understanding of protein complex offers insight into DNA replication initiation mechanism basics Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT A clearer understanding of the origin recognition complex -- a protein complex that directs DNA replication -- through its crystal structure offers new insight into fundamental mechanisms of DNA replication initiation. This will also provide insight into how ORC may be compromised in a subset of patients with Meier-Gorlin syndrome, a form of dwarfism in humans.

Rats fed a dietary fiber supplement had better weight control Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT Rats fed a fiber supplement while on a high fat and high sugar diet show a much lower weight gain than those who did not eat the fiber, a study shows. A team of researchers says the study helps scientists better understand the mechanisms of weight control and energy balance.

Fountain of youth uncovered in mammary glands of mice, by breast cancer researchers Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT The Fountain of Youth has been discovered and it's not in Florida as Ponce de Leon claimed. Instead, it was found in the mammary glands of genetically modified mice. A research team has found that when two factors that control tissue development are removed, you can avoid the impact of aging.

What can brain-controlled prosthetics tell us about the brain? Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT The field of neuroprosthetics has grown significantly over the past two decades thanks to advancements in technology. A biomedical engineer working at the leading edge of the field contends that these devices are also opening a new portal for researchers to understand how the brain functions.

A digital field guide to cancer cells Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT Scientists are mapping the habits of cancer cells, turn by microscopic turn. Using advanced technology and an approach that merges engineering and medicine, a team has compiled some of the most sophisticated data yet on the elaborate signaling networks directing highly invasive cancer cells. Think of it as a digital field guide for a deadly scourge.

Could a dose of nature be just what the doctor ordered? Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:46 AM PDT There is a well-established link between time spent in nature and better human health. However, the precise mechanism underlying this connection has been unclear, which has meant limited guidance for planners and policymakers. To address the lack of clarity, the authors posit a dose-response model for examining nature's health effects. Such a model would allow for more finely honed public health recommendations.

Increase in inflammation linked to high traffic pollution for people on insulin Posted: 08 Apr 2015 09:45 AM PDT People on insulin living next to roads with heavy traffic had markedly increased concentration of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, compared to those living in lower traffic areas, a two-year epidemiological study has found. Individuals taking oral diabetes medications did not experience increases in CRP concentration.

No association between lung cancer risk in women, reproductive history or hormone use Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:36 AM PDT A large prospective study of lung cancer found no strong associations between lung cancer risk and a wide range of reproductive history variables and only revealed weak support for a role of hormone use in the incidence of lung cancer.

Enriched broccoli reduces cholesterol Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:36 AM PDT Including a new broccoli variety in the diet reduces blood LDL-cholesterol levels by around 6 percent, according to the results of human trials. The broccoli variety was bred to contain two to three times more of a naturally occurring compound glucoraphanin. It is now available in supermarkets in England, under the name Beneforte.

Harmless artificial virus developed for gene therapy Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:34 AM PDT A team of scientists has produced an alternative to the use of viruses in gene therapy. The researchers synthesized nanoparticles that act as artificial viruses, capable of surrounding DNA fragments and releasing them as therapeutic agents, with no biological risk, into the interior of the cells.

Researchers shed light on link between diet, Epstein-Barr Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:33 AM PDT A new study is shedding light on the connection between diet and a common childhood disease. Using national health data, the researchers determined children who ate certain types of food or dealt with food insecurity may be more likely to contract the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). EBV is a common virus that often causes no symptoms on its own; it's better known as a cause of infectious mononucleosis and having a connection to some cancers.

How science, storytelling influence debate over vaccines Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:33 AM PDT If there is a silver lining to the measles outbreaks, it's that the risk of getting sick might lessen opposition to vaccines. Moving that pendulum will depend in part on how the public responds to news reports and personal stories about the illness, authors report in a new article.

When health risks go down, worker productivity goes up Posted: 08 Apr 2015 08:32 AM PDT Changes in employee health risk factors have a significant impact on work productivity, reports a new study. The productivity benefits of improved health are "cumulative over time," highlighting the need for companies to make "continuous investments in the culture of health," according to the study.

Gene study helps explain Legionnaires' probe complications Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:27 AM PDT Genetic research helps to explain why tracing the source of an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease that claimed four lives has proven to be more complicated than scientists hoped. A DNA study of bacteria samples taken from patients infected during the 2012 outbreak in Edinburgh shows that it was caused by several subtypes of the bacteria.

Osteoporosis-related fractures in China expected to double by 2035 Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:27 AM PDT The results of the first study using a health economics model to project osteoporosis-related fractures and costs for the Chinese population, shows that the country's healthcare system will face a dramatic rise in costs over the next few decades. The study forecasts that the incidence and costs of osteoporotic fractures in China will double by 2035, with costs rising to approximately USD 25.58 billion by 2050.

Women, regardless of their backgrounds, seek help for the 'got to go' feeling Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:07 AM PDT Regardless of their racial, ethnic, educational or socioeconomic background, women seek help for a frustrating -- and ubiquitous -- feature of becoming 'a woman of a certain age:' the need be close to the women's room.

Swimming algae offer researchers insights into living fluid dynamics Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:07 AM PDT None of us would be alive if sperm cells didn't know how to swim, or if the cilia in our lungs couldn't prevent fluid buildup. But we know very little about the dynamics of so-called 'living fluids,' those containing cells, microorganisms or other biological structures.

Emotional processing deficits linked with white matter damage Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:06 AM PDT Researchers have linked inability to recognize facial affect (emotion) with white matter damage after traumatic brain injury, an important first step toward understanding this emotional processing deficit. Findings indicate a pattern of white matter damage/gray matter atrophy associated with this specific impairment of social cognition after TBI.

Plotting the elimination of dengue Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:06 AM PDT Researchers are using a novel way to block the dengue virus in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes using the insect bacterium, Wolbachia and have for the first time provided projections of its public health benefit.

Brain scans reveal how people 'justify' killing Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:06 AM PDT A new study has thrown light on how people can become killers in certain situations, showing how brain activity varies according to whether or not killing is seen as justified.

Older people can learn to spend less time sitting down Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:06 AM PDT Older adults spend 8.5 waking hours a day sitting or lying down -- time linked to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and death -- even if they're physically active at other times. A new study showed it was feasible to coach older people to spend less time sitting: an average of a half hour less per day. They reported feeling more able to accomplish everyday tasks -- and they walked faster and had fewer depression symptoms.

Hidden burden: Most people carry recessive disease mutations Posted: 08 Apr 2015 07:05 AM PDT Humans carry an average of one to two mutations per person that can cause severe genetic disorders or prenatal death when two copies of the same mutation are inherited, according to new estimates. The new numbers were made possible by a long-term collaboration between medical researchers and a unique community that has maintained detailed family histories for many generations.

Case study Cabo Verde: Simulation offers policy Rx for curbing HIV Posted: 08 Apr 2015 06:04 AM PDT The African archipelago nation of Cabo Verde could bring its HIV epidemic under control within 10 years by ramping up a combination of four interventions already underway, according to projections from a sophisticated computer model led by public health researchers. Much of the progress could be achieved, the model predicts, by focusing the effort just on the most at-risk populations.

Exercise improves non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, new study indicates Posted: 08 Apr 2015 06:04 AM PDT Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the Western world. A new study shows that exercise, regardless of frequency or intensity, benefits obese and overweight adults with NAFLD.

Plants can take up nicotine from contaminated soils and from smoke Posted: 08 Apr 2015 06:03 AM PDT Passive smoking isn't only something that people have to cope with, but plants too. This is because some plants are actually able to take up nicotine from cigarette smoke, while others that grow in contaminated soil absorb it via the roots as well. This might explain why high concentrations of nicotine are often found in spices, herbal teas and medicinal plants, despite the fact that this alkaloid is no longer permitted in insecticides.

Obese patients improve physically, mentally after bariatric surgery Posted: 08 Apr 2015 06:03 AM PDT Bariatric surgery, or reduction of gastric capacity, is one of the longer lasting options to achieve considerable weight loss in obese people. A researcher has participated in a study that confirms that the effects of this relatively complex medical surgery are not only physical, but also psychological.

Got cold sores? Ironing out oxidative stress with vitamin E Posted: 08 Apr 2015 06:03 AM PDT You're up in the mountains, the snow is blindingly white, and the sun is blazing down from the sky: ideal skiing conditions -- but any skiers carrying the herpes virus might also have to reckon with the onset of cold sores after their day out. Increased exposure to UV radiation releases free radicals in the body. These put the body under oxidative stress, which weakens the immune system. And that in turn allows the herpes virus to prosper. Scientists have now shown for the first time that higher doses of vitamin E can reduce the stress on immune cells.

Mental disorders and physical diseases co-occur in teenagers Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:59 AM PDT Every third teenager has suffered from one mental disorder and one physical disease. These co-occurrences come in specific associations: More often than average, depression occurs together with diseases of the digestive system, eating disorders with seizures and anxiety disorders together with arthritis, heart disease as well as diseases of the digestives system. These findings are based on data from 6,500 U.S. teenagers.

Strokes can double the likelihood of attempted suicide Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:58 AM PDT Stroke patients can be up to twice as likely to commit suicide compared with the rest of the population, and the risk of attempted suicide is highest within the first two years after a stroke. "The study shows the need of both psychological and social support, as well as concrete measures to prevent suicide attempts, in people who have had a stroke and are at high risk of attempted suicide. The initiatives must also be put in place at an early stage as the risk of attempted suicide is greatest up to two years after a stroke," said the study's leader.

Researchers list reasons why the U. S. Surgeon General should announce that UV tanning causes skin cancer Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:57 AM PDT A July, 2014 Call to Action to Prevent Skin Cancer by acting Surgeon General Dr. Boris Lushniak points out that indoor tanning is "strongly associated with increased skin cancer risk," but stops short of reporting that tanning causes cancer. A new opinion article points out that UV tanning meets the same criteria as smoking as a cause of cancer and argues that announcing the causality could save lives.

Children with autism can learn to be social, trial shows Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:56 AM PDT Teachers and speech therapists can teach children with autism how to be social with their peers, a randomized trial shows. "We found that the children who participated in the social network not only made significant progress in social communication during the intervention but also made many more initiations to their peers in general," an author of the study said. "Teachers also reported that children in the intervention were more social and had better classroom behavior."

Researchers probing potential power of meditation as therapy Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:56 AM PDT The effectiveness of meditation as a therapy for mild cognitive impairment and migraine headaches is being studied by researchers, as well as its potential to reduce pain. "We're coming to recognize that meditation changes people's brains," said one researcher. "And we're just beginning to gain understanding of what those changes mean and how they might benefit the meditator."

Subtype of lethal prostate cancer discovered by researchers Posted: 08 Apr 2015 05:56 AM PDT The loss of key gene, WAVE1 has been linked by researchers to a lethal form of prostate cancer, according to a study. Using bioinformatic meta-analysis to compare several publicly available databases, researchers found that alterations in the WAVE1 gene were associated with a shorter period of remission in patients who were treated for prostate cancer. Strikingly, the study also showed that 22.9 percent of the prostate cancers reviewed in the database harbored the WAVE1 gene deletion.

Molecular trigger found for schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes Posted: 07 Apr 2015 12:23 PM PDT A molecule in the brain that triggers schizophrenia-like behaviors, brain changes and global gene expression in an animal model has been discovered by researchers. The research gives scientists new tools for someday preventing or treating psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and autism.

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